COVID-19 - any suggestions of what staff and workplace controls I could implement?

Hi, 

I'm hoping somebody can help me.

I'm QM of an egg packing plant, with around 50 staff tops at any time. 

We run one shift, with all the same staff members. 

Senior management are self isolating, so it's kind of down to me and my manager. 

We have put nothing in place in regards to Covid-19. The only thing we've changed is customers / deliveries go to a side door into the main production area instead of coming into the recpetion area (this makes no sense - to me this just says the office staff are more important than the operations staff)

At the moment, if somebody is off with symptoms they can't come in for 7 days. If somebody they live with has symptoms they can't come in for 14 days. When they do come back they simply fill out a health questionnaire. 

I am concerned that this is not proactive procedure. 

We have a clocking in machine where people use their fingers to scan. - i suggest we completely stop using this and revert back to a good old time sheet for now. 

We also don't have to wear gloves. 

Does anybody have any suggestions of what i could implement? And what is sensible or what is just a stretch too far. 

i think firstly to stop using the clocking in machine and to have all staff wear gloves.

Any thoughts?

Hi Zoe, I'm sure you'll get some useful suggestions. Anything that can enhance social distancing and the potential for cross contamination from each other and or from contact surfaces is important in the workplace.  Have you thought about staggering times of breaks and being on separate tables, spacing out work stations where possible, reduction of shared tools and equipment. Extra cleaning and sanitation.

Sounds like senior management committment has gone out the window at your place.

Best of luck,

Simon

We are currently

taking the temperature of every employee/ contractor/ vendor that comes in the building. (no one with a fever comes in the building)

Installed Several Hand sanitizer at every entry door.Also one right by the punching machine so hands can be sanitized before and after use.

we are wearing a mask all the time. even in the office areas. 

Practicing social distancing.

We installed hand sanitizer dispensers right by the time clock and other doors. We have locked our building down and do not allow any outside visitors. Drivers making deliveries are escorted (using a safe distance) to unload their trucks, drivers picking up are not permitted passed the delivery lobby. They are to use their own pens to sign paperwork. UPS, Amazon, Fed Ex, can only deliver to delivery lobby. We sanitize all door handles after they leave. We created a touch point sanitation list and our daytime sanitation person goes around the building every 1-2 hours and sanitizes all the touch points in the entire building (light switches, door handles, break room equipment). We have staggered breaks so that each department takes their breaks separately. We have propped open doors that do not affect food safety and trained everyone to open swinging doors with their backs/elbows/anything but hands. We have a disaster team that meets weekly (or more often if needed) to review the latest updates and recommendations from the CDC and WHO.

We have signage reminding everyone not to come in if they are sick. We have a thermometer if they want but have asked that people monitor their temperature at home not come in if they have a fever. 

I have prepared a procedure on preventing covid-19 spread at work place, and trained all workers and staffs, displayed best practices posters and Dos and Donts at all prominent places. Following WHO and FSSAI guidelines. 

Like PollyKBD specified above, we have made arrangements for extra hand sanitiser at locations, extra spacing in the canteen (we actullay made a second one to be able to spread out the staff more), extra cleaning of contact points, open doors where possible, staggered tea breaks, floor markings in corridors for distance guidelines and restriction on visitors from entering the building. On the production floor we have extra PPE (masks and/or face shields depending on the work, we already had wellies cotton tunics and trousers, waterproof gowns and gloves etc.), perspects barriers along production lines, and tried to spread some things out as much as possible. We have also removed all common items from the canteen with people needing to bring their own cup, spoon etc and keep their own items in their own lunchboxes/bags to minimise the risk of transfer and are waiting on a milk dispenser to stop the use of smaller cartons. Staff were also asked to try to spread out car sharing to work so that there are only two (from different households) in the same car. All instances of potintial COVID cases are told to self isolate for 14 days. 

We're updating hygiene rules and SOPs for the new changes and have done a risk assessment on how this effects staff, supplies, deliveries, product, packaging, continuity and so on. 

Hey guys; I'm attaching COVID-19 Risk Assessment template, hope you find it helpful. 

Sorry, attaching the file

Simpler things to put in place:

Post signs on reminding employees to wash hands, practice social distancing, etc. The NHS should have materials already made

If space - have people spread out during breaks

Perform more cleaning - especially on the commonly touched areas.

Hi, 

 

I'm hoping somebody can help me.

I'm QM of an egg packing plant, with around 50 staff tops at any time.

We run one shift, with all the same staff members.

Senior management are self isolating, so it's kind of down to me and my manager.

We have put nothing in place in regards to Covid-19. The only thing we've changed is customers / deliveries go to a side door into the main production area instead of coming into the recpetion area (this makes no sense - to me this just says the office staff are more important than the operations staff)

At the moment, if somebody is off with symptoms they can't come in for 7 days. If somebody they live with has symptoms they can't come in for 14 days. When they do come back they simply fill out a health questionnaire. 

I am concerned that this is not proactive procedure.

We have a clocking in machine where people use their fingers to scan. - i suggest we completely stop using this and revert back to a good old time sheet for now. 

We also don't have to wear gloves.

Does anybody have any suggestions of what i could implement? And what is sensible or what is just a stretch too far.

i think firstly to stop using the clocking in machine and to have all staff wear gloves.

 

 

Any thoughts?

Hi Zoe,

The official FSA page is here but seems pretty limited to me, particularly regarding food production -

https://www.food.gov...avirus-covid-19

This link has some overview suggestions -

https://www.ifst.org...spect to staff?

This link looks at UK situation, its final link (see last URL below) seemed quite useful -

https://www.foodnavi...s-from-COVID-19

https://www.klipspri...-factories.html

Many specific aspects,  eg handling positive worker detections are discussed in detail on WHO, CDC, FDA websites and other threads here.